Why Don't We Do It In The BCT, Gloria!

11-3-84 Berkeley Community Theatre setlist & soundboard mp3 download a.k.a. 11/3/84 aka 11/03/84 aka 84-11-03
24 Years (and a couple days) Ago Tonight...

Grateful Dead ~ November 3, 1984
Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, California

1st Set: Alabama Getaway-» The Promised Land,
Friend Of The Devil, Down In The Bottom*,
It Must Have Been The Roses, The Music Never Stopped-» Deal

2nd Set: Franklin's Tower-» Cumberland Blues,
Gloria**-» Why Don't We Do It In The Road-» Jam-»
Drums-» Space-» Uncle John's Band-» Dear Mr. Fantasy-»
Throwing Stones-» Turn On Your Lovelight

Encore: Brokedown Palace

* First Time Played ~ ** Previous: 10/16/81

A review, transcribed from: DeadBase IX [out of print] by MIKE DOLGUSHKIN I saw three nights of this run. I find that the 28th is a generally underrated show, probably because they only did 14 songs. Since Playing in the Band takes up the length of three I'll let that speak for itself. Everyone had high expectations for Halloween: aside from the best (and last) Lazy Lightnin'> Supplication of all time the band failed to deliver. If you've never heard the Morning Dew from that night consider yourself lucky. But... the last two shows of this series are what legends are made of. I skipped the show on November 2nd. The next morning I got a call from Wolfgram. "Oh no... oh fuck... oh shit... I missed all that!" I expressed my hope that they still had something left in them for that night. Wolfgram assured me they did, although I couldn't imagine how. I went to BCT and found my seat, not knowing what to expect. Alabama> Promised Land was RIPPIN', the boys were off to a good start. Friend of the Devil was well played but seemed too safe of a choice, however, they followed it with the first known performance of Willie Dixon's Down in the Bottom. (A tune I was familiar with through Nick Gravenites.) Next was a decent Roses into Music Never Stopped into Deal to close the set. Good performance, short song list. if anything special happened it wouldn't be till later. The second set began with Feel Like a Stranger into Cumberland Blues, two songs that all too rarely crop up in the second set. It's a shame, since putting them there tends to invigorate both. Next came a familiar chord progression. "What is it?... it couldn't be... it can't be... IT IS! GLORIA!!" I started screaming. I couldn't help it, it was the last song I expected to hear. What a crowd response! Besides the song choice itself this was also an unbelievably hot performance, slower than sometimes done but very effective. The show could have ended right there and I would have been satisfied. Of course, there was more to come. Out of Gloria Phil began the opening riff to Lovelight (just like 10-16-81) but went unheeded. The music slowed down, then went into a bouncy jam that could have become Deep Elem Blues but became Why Don't We Do it in the Road instead. A funny thing happened: Phil refused to sing the song. ("You guys didn't wanna do Lovelight so I'm not gonna sing this.") Jerry, Bob and Brent each took a stab at the vocals. The results were disjointed, to say the least, but by this time it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. They could have done Three Blind Mice and said goodnight and it wouldn't have mattered. As it was, they were not done with us yet. A pretty Garcia-led jam trailed into Drumz. After a long (and I do mean long) Space came a beautiful Uncle John's Band; leading into the Bay Area debut of Dear Mr. Fantasy. I perceived it at the time as a Garcia song; strange for a tune that became so identified with Brent. At the end of Throwin' Stones I had one more wish. "PLEASE, guys! You've done Not Fade Away already. You HAVE to do Lovelight NOW!" Prayers answered. I was surprised how arranged it was, since the two previous versions I'd seen live were rather off-the-cuff. A very explosive ending, a Brokedown encore and it was time to go. Nothing left to do after THAT show except go back to San Francisco and have some pizza.

Not a bad show. I've listened to it a bunch of times in the past few days... but I haven't felt explosively moved by anything here. It's good... just not outstanding in my opinion. It was pretty neat to hear that Lovelight tease after G... L... O... R... I... A, G-L-O-R-I-A, Gloooooooooooooor-riaaaa! And speaking of Gloria, I always think it's pretty cool when a song is brought back after an absence of around a year or more. As far as why Mr. Mike in the review above wanted Lovelight so badly, at the time it was ultra-rare. From around this time until the end, Lovelight was standard fare, never gone any significant length of time from a GD setlist. But here in late '84, it had only recently been brought back for the first time since 1982 and in '82 it was only played twice... and before that -- just once in '81, same show as Gloria!! (Before that was '72 with Pigpen.) So I can see why it was so wanted; I may have been feeling the same way.

Anyway... check it out. It's not a bad show.

Source: Soundboard> Master PCM> DAT> CDR> SHN Audio Quality:

BCT 11/3/85 @ Archive.org: Soundboard: Listening Only or you can download the AUD

or Download the SBD Right Here

11/3/84 Part 1

Part 2 11/3/84